What Others Are Saying
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Refugee chefs share stories, cuisine at Tables Across Borders dinner series
León, a three-time James Beard Award nominee, said the experience of hosting the chefs is rewarding on multiple levels.
Milwaukee’s Amilinda, James Beard nominated chef
The 2024 James Beard nominations are out and, once again, Milwaukee has several chefs on the list. Brian Kramp is at Amilinda with a semi-finalist who creates Spanish and Portuguese dishes in a cozy-chic space.
Amilinda chef, up for national award, celebrates 30 years of cooking
León’s work also received recognition from James Beard in 2022 and 2023, when he was a finalist nominee for Best Chef in the Midwest.
Amilinda owner up for “Outstanding Chef”
Chef Gregory León, of Amilinda, was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for the “Outstanding Chef” category.
WI Restaurants, Chefs Named 2024 James Beard Semifinalists
The outstanding chef category recognizes chefs who set “high culinary standards” and serve as a positive example for other food professionals while making an impact on the broader community.
Six Milwaukee-based chefs named as semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Awards
Chef Gregory León, of Amilinda, was named a semifinalist for the “Outstanding Chef” category. The foundation describes this category as, “a chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals while contributing positively to their broader community.”
Meet the Milwaukee chef nominated for a national James Beard Award
Gregory León is the owner and chef of Amilinda in downtown Milwaukee. He’s been nominated for Best Chef in the Midwest for the past few years by the James Beard Foundation and said he didn’t expect a nomination this year — let alone, one at the national level for Outstanding Chef.
Amilinda Restaurant
Gregory León is the owner and executive chef of this celebrated Milwaukee eatery, and you will find him in the small street-facing kitchen cooking every evening. Chef León spent much of his youth in Venezuela before bringing his culinary talents to various San Francisco restaurants as well as working in Madrid.
Small Business Gets Caught in DEI Crossfire
“We were put to the end of the line, and they ran out of money before they got to the majority of people,” said Gregory Leon, chef and owner of Amilinda, a restaurant in Milwaukee that was approved for a $285,000 grant but never received the money. The $28 billion program ran out of funds before Amilinda’s grant could be funded under the court-ordered approach.
Pride Month: Amilinda serves Spanish, Portuguese food and offers a seat for everyone
Between Milwaukee and Broadway sits Amilinda, a Spanish-Portuguese restaurant owned by Gregory Leon.
“I learned and discovered that food and cooking is something that you can use to bring people together,” says Gregory Leon, an award-winning chef in Milwaukee.
30 Great LGBTQ+-Owned Restaurants To Visit In The US
All over the U.S., LGBTQ+-owned businesses have come a long way, emerging from the closets and the sidelines of society into the forefront. That’s thanks to pioneering entrepreneurs and loud-and-proud voices championing change and doing their parts to influence communities in meaningful ways.
Premios James Beard 2023 reconocen a chefs y restaurantes latinos entre sus finalistas
Al menos 18 chefs o directores de restaurantes de ascendencia latina están en la lista de finalistas para los premios James Beard, conocidos como los "Oscar culinarios". En entrevista varios celebran que el galardón esté volteando hacia cocinas más diversas y...
Easter eggs are everywhere. But Jewish Passover feasts also involve this symbol of renewal.
His father’s Venezuelan roots inspire the menu at Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., but chef/owner Gregory Leon incorporates his Jewish mother’s family traditions into matzah brei.
Here Are the 2023 James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Finalists
Today, the James Beard Foundation announced its slate of finalists for its 2023 restaurant and chef awards. In addition to revealing who has advanced from the semifinalist pool revealed last month, the Foundation has also announced six recipients of the...
The 38 Essential Milwaukee Restaurants
From polka-fueled Friday fish fries at a craft brewery to saucy vegan burgers at a weed-themed, plant-based joint, here’s where to eat in Wisconsin’s largest city Read More
15 LGBTQ+ Chefs That Should’ve Been On Your Radar, Like, Yesterday
Navigating the testosterone-fueled world of professional kitchens is a difficult task for anybody, but these LGBTQ+ chefs have found success in their truth and in the incredible food they're making. Read more
Here are Milwaukee’s James Beard Award finalists for 2022
Drum roll please... let's raise a glass to the resilience, innovation and creativity of these local restaurant heroes. Read More
2022 James Beard Semifinalists
Today, we are announcing our 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists in advance of the returning James Beard Awards® Read more
A trip down memory lane: Looking back at the growth of Milwaukee’s dining scene
In honor of Milwaukee's birthday, let's look at the great restaurants which have come (and gone) over the past several years - and how it's even more clear how much our support for them will matter in the New Year. Read More
7 LGBTQ Chefs Cooking Up Pride From the Heartland
Sometimes there's a misconception that America's top chefs reside mainly on the coasts. In reality, chefs across the Midwest, Great Plains, and other heartland states are rocking the culinary arts in their hometowns and beyond. Read more
Milwaukee LGBTQ-owned restaurants (and food trucks)
The food might vary, but each of these places provides a safe, welcoming place where you can enjoy a great meal. Read more
Restaurant Owners Are Frustrated, Angry After New Round of RRF Grant Reversals
The U.S. Small Business Administration, which oversees the awards, is quiet about why operators’ promised funding is being rescinded for the second time this month. Read more
These Restaurants Were Approved for Federal Aid. White Restaurateurs Just Hijacked It.
Over 2,900 businesses owned by women, people of color, and veterans haven’t gotten the sorely needed money the SBA promised them following lawsuits filed by MAGA-aligned groups on behalf of white restaurant owners. read more
Judges Halt Race and Gender Priority for Restaurant Relief Grants
Approvals for thousands of Restaurant Revitalization Fund applicants were rescinded after court orders struck down a policy that favored historically underserved groups. Read More
Milwaukee’s Top 30 restaurants for 2019
Amilinda, the downtown restaurant that nods to Spain and Portugal, could draw people in by virtue of its food alone, but I’m taken with its drink, service and atmosphere, too. The restaurant seems only to get better each year, from the yeasty rolls and...
Don’t snooze on Amilinda’s limited-time winter brunch
Brunch. It's a ubiquitous weekend treat. But the tradition gets even sweeter when a restaurant that doesn't normally serve brunch gets in on the fun. Read more...
Summer sips at Amilinda
The other day we stopped by the Spanish- and Portuguese-inspired restaurant, Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., to hear from Orry León about why everyone should try sherry this summer. You may think that sherry is only used for cooking, but León is here to prove...
Where to go for that first date or Anniversary
Where to have a first dinner date is an important question, because it might lead to another important question — where to have dinner for the anniversary. For a first dinner date, a certain kind of place, where the mood is light, might be more important than how...
Chef of the Year: Sheperd Express Best of Milwaukee
Gregory León, chef and co-owner of Amilinda, drew his Spanish-Portuguese menu from his travels. He is one the most approachable restaurateurs in the biz. Everything at Amilinda from tiles, exposed Cream City brick walls, paintings or the brightly colored rooster...
An Alternative Top-30 Restaurant Guide
Chef Gregory Leon combines the many roots of his existence—Oklahoma, Venezuela, San Francisco, a deep love of the food of Spain and Portugal—into a singular, precise, limited-menu vision in his first full restaurant. There are really only a few things to eat on any...
